Children’s Balance Bikes

I’m a first time dad (who’s been lazily off his own bike a while) with a 14month old lad who’s loving the outdoors and is pretty good on his feet. I’m itching to get a decent balance bike for him to begin exploring. Looking for any pointers, bikes to avoid, tips etc. Best with a brake? Stick to something lightweight?

I’ve got my eye on a second hand Hornet Airo or a Frog, but is the latter worth the increased spend?

Cheers

Get something lightweight because you’ll be carrying it a lot. Our first one was £20 in Aldi and he rode the wheels off it for over a year. They don’t need to be posh.

Get something lightweight because you’ll be carrying it a lot. Our first one was £20 in Aldi and he rode the wheels off it for over a year. They don’t need to be posh.

+1

We’ve used a Banana Bike LT for a couple of kids – very light, not too expensive, solid tyres so no punctures, no complaints.
They also do a GT version with real spokes & tyres but I don’t really see the point.

Evil Amazon link provided for STW to skim: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Banana-Bike-LT-Lightweight-Balance/dp/B06VTD32J1

A footrest might be nice to have if anything. Brakes? Maybe. Not really necessary IMO.

The 4yo is still using it now but he’s grown out of it really.

Edit: That Hornit does look nice though.

As does this (sadly no longer available in pretty colours) https://production-privee.com/blogs/news/mini-cg-the-balance-bike-for-kids-but-not-only

Must… Resist… https://bike.motocard.com/en/city/production_privee-tatoo_mini_cg_push_bike_matt_black_red.aspx

Maybe look on Marketplace or similar? He won’t be on it for long, so buy cheap and sell on for essentially what you paid for it.  You can but posh ones, but I don’t see the point. It will get dropped and scuffed.  Ours started on a B-Twin which didn’t cost much.  Did all we needed l, and as Sharkattack mentioned, it was light enough to carry when they got bored.

Ours is still in the garage, actually, and needs to go, so if your are local to Notts you are welcome to have it for the princely sum of nowt.

We got a used Isla, no brake but my kids were no 6 & 7. It’s since been passed on and made it’s way to NZ.

It was light and loved by both my boys. I kept the tyre pressure low to keep their speed down as both were radio rental on the downs.

When they got to big they went onto a 14″ early rider seeker. At first I popped the cranks off and they scooted around eventually using the bottom bracket as a foot rest, this got them onto pedals easily.

By used and pass on for what you paid. I’ve not paid attention to the Isla, Frog etc prices, but the early riders hold a decent resale value.

Pair a balance bike with a shotgun etc seat and go a bike ride with them. When they get tired stick them up front and strap a balance bike to your backpack. Mine did the glentress blue this way.

I’ve got 5 grandchildren, from 14 down to just turned 2. They all started on balance bikes as I was quite vocal about two things. One is a total ban on stabilisers, the other is “don’t coach them!”. They’ll pick enough up when they see other kids doing it. I was quite happy to see them shuffling around dragging the bike between their legs for 6 months.
I was a bit ashamed last month taking the 3 and 5 year olds up to the Gruffalo skills area on Cannock Chase when they rode past a proud dad with his 5 year old kid just doing the side to side flop on his stabilisers and the 3 year old (rather ostentatiously) called to his brother while out of the saddle “stabilisers are for babies!”.

I had to make the first one, as they small ones weren’t available 12 years ago but I think the current small one, a Globber Go was £30 from Tesco and it’s fine.

Brakes yes or no…. Initially not needed. By the end of the balance bike it was most definitely needed.

There was a fair bit of crossover with jnr where she could ride her 14 inch bike fine but would take the balance bike “mountain biking’ while we walked or ran in the woods.

Things would often get out of hand and require use of the brakes.

I got taken in by the “never stabilisers” propaganda and tried a series of balance bikes with my daughter who didn’t show much interest in them. In desperation I bought a Spesh Riprock with stabilisers that she loved and now at 11 rides a bike just fine.

Kokua Jumper is what we had.

Lightweight, decent parts, spares available, not well enough known about to attract a premium second hand but continue to sell on for the same.

If you’re lucky you’ll find one with the short and long seat post.

We had a Puky for our kids – great little thing, damned quick and although it had a brake they never used it! It also came with a shoulder strap for attaching to the bike to sling it over your shoulder for carrying, which was a really helpful addition.

Thanks all, some great thinking points.

It was always the intention to be, and now definitely will be, a second hand purchase.

I wouldn’t bother with a break. they’re all pretty light – its super simple. We had a £30 halfords one, that got handed down the family after.

Ours didn’t show much interest for ages – a year or so after getting it, then loved it once they got the hang.

Lots of good advice, here’s my experience:

Lightweight/alloy frame as you will be carrying it a lot. Both ours used a Ridgeback Scoot, which has been ace. Nice and light, rear brake, and nice solid components. It’s also decently long and a bit slack so when they’re really used to it and taking it off curbs and playing on mini-pump tracks, it stays stable rather than tippy.

Get the right size for them to grow into a bit from their current size. We had a cheap Wizzer from halfords, but it is for smaller kids and was heavier than the bigger balance bike, and he grew out of it quickly. (they grow out of everything quickly when they’re small though!)

Brakes – we managed with the ‘bigger’ balance bike just having a rear. Just something to control the speed a bit on down slopes.

We found with both our 2 that balance bikes and lots of practice (with a bit of advice here and there), that stabilisers weren’t needed. They get to the point where they are balancing and cruising along with their feet up, and then they can try a pedal bike. All they then need to do is learn to pedal whilst balancing (as they have acquired the skill of balancing), which mine seemed to pick up after a few goes on a pedal bike without stabilisers.

Balance bikes are ace for kids, eldest riding pedals at 4, youngest on pedals before his 4th birthday, now both tearing it up on pump tracks and skate parks! It’s fun to watch as a parent too.

How tall is he? We had my daughter a small balance bike to start with as the saddle height wouldn’t go low enough on the larger wheeled balance bikes. I can’t remember exactly, but I think it was the Halfords Indi 10″ wheeled one.

She had that for a year or perhaps a little more, then we got her a Banana Bike GT. As mentioned above, the LT version is cheaper, has plastic wheels and non-pneumatic tyres. It is probably just as good in reality, but I think the GT was on a tenner or so more so I was happy to go with that.

Brakes? We live in a very flat part of the country, so hills weren’t really an issue – we didn’t see the need, but maybe if I lived somewhere with proper hills I would have gone for one.

now at 11 rides a bike just fine.

Maybe if you’d persevered with the balance bike then she’d have been riding properly long before 11 😉